Ghouls
Ghouls are semi-Undead monsters that were Rank 3 at lowest. They show greater intelligence and societal structure than subhuman-type monsters such as Goblins, Orcs and Kobolds, and the physical appearance of the two genders are very different. The general public believes that Ghouls are a special race of Undead. Though even many Ghouls themselves do not know this, they are a race descended from the younger of the twins, whose genders are unknown, born to Vida and the Undead champion Zakkart. There are no remaining records of Ghouls in the myths, so it seems that their ancestor was completely uninvolved in the later battle between Alda and Vida, but it is unknown whether they distanced themselves from the battle on their own or were allowed to escape. Ghouls, both men and women, have gray-brown skin, but the women look exactly like beautiful human women except for their yellow pupils and claws. In contrast, the men have the heads of lions and arms so long that the backs of their hands reach the ground when they are standing upright. Ghoul men and women differ in their qualities as much as in their appearances; the men are physically superior but have poor qualities for magic, while women are physically inferior to men but possess good qualities for magic. Their lifespans are around three hundred years; the men age at the same pace as humans until the age of fifteen and then begin aging slowly after reaching adulthood. Women grow and age at the same pace as humans until they become pregnant (even if they do not have a successful childbirth), and once they become pregnant, their physical age becomes fixed. Ghouls possess the Dark Vision, Superhuman Strength, Pain Resistance and Venom Secretion skills from birth; their claws that secrete paralyzing venom, become fearsome weapons when swung with their powerful arms. They are vulgar and unsociable in nature, but their sense of unity as a race is strong; in times of emergency, they put their differences aside to cooperate with other tribes and villages. Also, it is possible for members of another race of Vida to make exchanges that are civil to a certain extent with tribes that are aware that Ghouls are a race of Vida. Also, for a later-mentioned reason, villages that are in trouble may willingly welcome members of other races. As there are no nations that treat Ghouls as people, they cannot become adventurers, but they live their lives while setting their roles based on their gender, so even in battle, men are often at the front while women are at the back. There are no Ghoul civilians. One could make a far-fetched argument that Ghouls captured and traded as slaves, or tamed specimens, could be considered civilians. Because they live like aboriginals in Devil’s Nests, they are thought of as a race of monsters, but they live like this because their reproduction capability is low; they cannot produce offspring outside Devil’s Nests. This is why Ghouls have no concept of marriage, and it is ordinary for them to do everything they can to produce offspring. It seems that there are cases where strong individuals monopolize members of the other sex, but these are rare cases. For their diets, they prefer meat and even use human meat as food. For this reason, they are called corpse-eating demons, but the Ghouls would argue that humans take materials from their corpses as well. It could be said that they are hostile to every other race. Also, it seems that some have complexes when it comes to Vampires. Ghouls can conduct a ritual to transform Human, Elf or Dwarf women into Ghouls. As their lack of fertility is a serious problem, when their female numbers drop too low for whatever reason, they sometimes turn female adventurers and such that they capture into Ghouls. When they capture male adventurers, if they are lucky, they might be able to survive by nodding their heads to the advances of Ghoul women. (Much of the above does not apply to the Ghouls of Talosheim.) Ghouls Conversion Ritual The ritual to turn human women into Ghouls is done by digging a hole in the ground large enough to contain all of the women undergoing it. Next, Ghouls blood and venom secreted by their claws is added to the mud while offering prayers to the goddess Vida and then more mud was put back into the hole, submerging the human women. They would then be transformed from humans into Ghouls after three days. Ghouls Communities * Ghoul Village (Destroyed) * Talosheim * Zozogante’s Great Forest (D-rank dungeon) ** Ghoul Nation (inside dungeon) * Dark Continent town Trivia References Category:Species Category:Ghouls Category:Vida's Progeny Category:Humanoid Category:Monster Category:Conversion Ritual Category:Former Humans